Volunteer Positions

As a growing society, the workload for existing officers is increasing, and new ideas are emerging that require extra help to deliver even more benefits for our members. Could you contribute to our continued success by offering some time and skills to help the team that runs the NGS?

Help run the NGS

It is not just for the annual election of the full Committee that we need new volunteers. The Committee has decided that for reasons of continuity and security we should actively work towards developing understudies for key committee roles. In addition, there are sometimes opportunities during the year for less formal help to be given to smaller projects.

Some roles have formal “job specs” and others are more flexible to match the time commitment and skills of the individual.

New volunteers are essential both to bring new ideas and to lessen the burden on those who have already donated many hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of hours in making your society what it is today. So, if you want to explore what is involved in a specific role, or simply want to investigate whether you could contribute in some way, why not get in touch?

If you feel that you would be interested in one of these roles or that you can assist in any way, please email

Journal Editor

The Journal is one of the most important aspects of the Society’s services, and the one that every member benefits from receiving six times per year. There are many aspects to the production of the Journal: receiving articles, reviewing them, selecting photos, choosing what to include in an issue, proofing.

Additionally, there is the actual production in terms of designing and laying out pages, however, the Society can use the services of a professional for this, and they merely need to be supplied with the material for each issue. Do not be put off if you do not have desk top publishing skills, as this can be provided for.

There is also responsibility for producing the Newsletter, and the placing of adverts in the Journal.

The role of editor is a committee position, and it is expected that the editor attends as many meetings as possible and the AGM.

There are many aspects to the production of the Journal, and many distinct roles within it besides the traditional idea of “editor”. In all probability, production of the Journal will work best as a team effort, with several people taking on distinct roles such as receipt and proofing of articles, handling advertising, letters pages, final proofing, etc. So please get in touch if you think that you can help.

Chairman

The current Chairman of the N Gauge Society will be stepping down at the 2019 AGM which will make this committee position vacant. In the event that more than one candidate comes forward, then there will be an election, with the result being announced at the 2019 AGM.

The Chairman is the chairman of the committee and the Society, and as such, is expected to chair the committee meetings (between three and five per annum) and the Annual General Meeting. Travel to these meetings is essential and all reasonable expenses will be paid.

The Chairman is the ‘go to’ person all year round for any issues in the Society and must be approachable and helpful to deal with member enquires and problems. The Chairman needs to work closely with all the members of the committee to understand their roles and challenges and to assist as much as possible. An understanding of all aspects of how the Society operates will be beneficial, though this knowledge can be acquired over time.

The ideal candidate will have enthusiasm for taking the Society forward over the coming years, and tremendous drive and innovation to achieve this.

Note also, that following conversion of the Society to a Company Limited by Guarantee that the Chairman will also be the Chairman of the board of the limited company, and will be registered as such with appropriate details at Companies House.

Product Officer

Following the reduction of the Shop to selling just Society products, the committee have decided to redefine the Product Development Officer (PDO) role to encompass all aspects of Society products, hence the change of title to Product Officer (PO).

The Society’s products broadly fall into four categories: RTR; kits; decals; ModelMaster decals/nameplates. Each area currently has one or more volunteers managing them, and the Product Officer will manage and liaise with these people. Responsibilities include managing projects, budgets, costs and stock. The Product Officer will work closely with the Shop Manager and Display Stand Manager to ensure that they have sufficient stock in their respective areas.

This is a committee position and as such, travel to at least two committee meetings per year and the Annual General Meeting is expected, for which all reasonable expenses will be paid.

As the role is currently vacant, the committee wish to appoint someone immediately, at least as an interim appointment until the next AGM. If more than one candidate comes forward, the committee will appoint one person in the interim and there will be an election for the post with the result being announced at the AGM.